Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel virus, called Cedar Virus, and its methods of use.
Background of the Invention
Henipaviruses were first discovered in the 1990s in disease outbreaks in farm animals and humans in Australia and Malaysia (1, 2). These viruses comprise the only known Biosafety Level 4 (BSL4) agents in the family Paramyxoviridae (3), and mortality is between 40% to 100% in both humans and animals (4, 5), depending upon the virus, animal species and geographic locations of outbreaks. The genus Henipavirus in the subfamily Paramyxovirinae currently contains two members, Hendra virus (HeV) and Nipah virus (NiV), with fruit bats, commonly known as flying foxes, as having been identified as the main natural reservoir of both viruses. Serological evidence, however, also suggests that henipaviruses may circulate in other types of bats (7-10).
The discovery of henipaviruses has had a significant impact on our overall understanding of paramyxoviruses. Indeed, Paramyxoviruses, such as measles virus and canine distemper virus, have a narrow host range and are known to be genetically stable with a close to uniform genome size shared by all members of Paramyxovirinae (3). Henipaviruses, however, shifted these paradigms as these viruses have a much wider host range and a significantly larger genome (6).
Recently, research on henipavirus has successfully identified functional cellular receptors and has driven the development of novel diagnostics, vaccine and therapeutics (15-25). There is, however, little understanding of the pathogenesis of these highly lethal viruses, due in part to the requirement of a high security BSL4 facility needed to conduct live infection studies and in part to the limited number of research tools available used in the current animal models. Research into the mechanisms of henipavirus pathogenesis is also hampered by the lack of related, non-pathogenic or less pathogenic viruses that could be used in comparative pathogenetic studies.
Recent serological investigations in China and other regions indicated the presence of cross-reactive, but not necessarily cross-neutralizing, antibodies to henipaviruses in bats of different species (8). Detection of henipavirus-like genomic sequences in African bats further support the results obtained from the serological investigations (26).
The invention disclosed herein is directed to the isolation and characterization of a newly discovered henipavirus. 